


Prompt: Hibernation

by Sonic-Not-Sonic (UltimateGamer101)



Series: SNS's Sonic One-Shots [3]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Anyways, Chaos Energy is Convenient, Don't ignore your body acting weird like Sonic does, Fluff and Angst, M/M, My brain couldn't decide whether it wanted angst or fluff more, Sonic was born mute but Chaos Energy gave him the ability to speak, Tails and Eggman are only mentioned really, enjoy, hibernation, kind of, so this ended up a kind of mixture of both
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24682738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UltimateGamer101/pseuds/Sonic-Not-Sonic
Summary: About a month ago, Tails picked up some familiar signals indicating that Eggman was on the move again. Sonic and Metal were on the case, immediately going out to the area that the signals originated from, but nothing was there to be found. No new secret bases jumped out at them, no handy lights and sirens went off to tell them that they had gotten close enough to set off the alarms- nothing. It was only them, the ice, and the snow...Almost every day since the signals were first picked up, Sonic and Metal have returned to the Ice Cap zone in search of Eggman's new base, and Sonic has noticed some strange things going on with himself. He's been moving slower recently, and he's been sleeping more than usual, and he wasn't all that hungry anymore. Well, it wasn't too much to be concerned about- stranger things had happened to him, and if anything went wrong, Metal was there to help him.
Relationships: Metal Sonic/Sonic the Hedgehog
Series: SNS's Sonic One-Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716535
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	Prompt: Hibernation

**Author's Note:**

> I probably could've titled this better, but title machine broke. May it rest in pieces.

Over the course of the past week, Sonic had noticed a few strange things going on with his body, but he hadn't been too concerned about them.

The sudden unsteady movement wasn't something to worry about, because it went away on its own after so much time, and so far it hadn't popped up when he was in the middle of anything important like taking down Eggman or spending quality time with his partner. Nor was the lack of appetite- in fact, that was actually kind of a relief, given his extremely quick metabolism and how he almost always felt hungry to some extent because of it. And sure, maybe it was kind of weird to poke at his body- especially his stomach- and feel it being physically colder than usual, but that was just weird and not something to worry about. Weirder things had happened to him, such as his eyes turning green and his defective vocal cords becoming useable due to prolonged exposure to Chaos Energy, and this was probably just a transition phase for something similar.

He wasn't concerned about how he was sleeping more than usual, and he wasn't concerned about the restless energy inside of him beginning to diminish. Nothing bad was happening to him, _really_ , and he kind of liked this change of pace. Like, was this how slower, more ordinary people felt all the time? At this pace that he would normally consider lackluster, he was able to really stop and smell the roses... or he would be able to, if there were any roses around for him to smell, but that was pretty unlikely with the chilly landscape of ice and snow that he had been frequenting lately.

Yep, that's right. He'd spent most of the past month in the Ice Cap zone, and he was there again at this very second, looking for a new secret base of Eggman's that may or may not exist. By this point, he was pretty much willing to give up the search and wait for the guy to reveal it on his own during a new scheme to take over the world or whatever, but both Tails _and_ Metal insisted that it would be better to catch him off guard by attacking before said scheme was ready to be carried out. And sure, he definitely understood why they'd want to do that, but he was admittedly unenthusiastic about the idea. It felt almost mean, on top of how boring it would be, to just destroy a hideout before it was ready to be used. After all, he and Eggman had an understanding of sorts, and it was _way_ more exciting to face an Eggman at the latest height of his power than it was to kick down an Eggman that was still recovering from his most recent failure.

"Hey Mets, you find anything?"

His arms folded behind his head as he walked, the blue hedgehog listened to the crunch of his and his partner's footsteps in the snow beneath his feet, and yawned for what was probably the fiftieth time that day. It _felt_ like the fiftieth, anyways. He wasn't actually counting. Metal probably _was_ though, so he could ask for a solid yawn count if he really wanted to, but for now he was content to just walk through this frozen landscape with the android and enjoy the beautiful- albeit cold- environment around them.

"Negative," his partner responded from the other side of the icy ravine they were in, inspecting some strange bumps and divots in the walls around them. "However, we seem to be closing in. These gouges in the ice are evenly spaced apart with a distance of approximately ten centimeters between each one, and they are rough in texture- this is an indication that the Doctor's robots have recently been active in the area."

Releasing a curious little hum, Sonic jogged over to the other's side at a leisurely pace, and leaned in to get a closer look at the gouges in the ice. The ice here was definitely rougher than he remembered the ice walls generally being the last time he'd been in the area, the almost jagged edges able to be felt even through his gloves. His fingers twitched as he briefly considered removing his gloves to feel exactly how sharp these edges were, but he eventually dismissed the thought, as his attention was grabbed by a thick line of darkness embedded within the ice wall before them.

"Huh, that's a pretty big crack." The blue hedgehog reached forward and poked at it, blinking when the gap in the ice abruptly grew two inches beneath his fingertips. "And it's getting bigger."

As Metal turned to look at the growing space beneath his fingers, a loud and sudden _CRACK!_ echoed through the ravine, small chunks of ice and a large pile of snow tumbling down upon him as the ice wall gave way before him. 

Sonic couldn't help but freeze in place, almost mesmerized by the way the light reflected through the mixed substances, as his train of thought was cut off by a sudden shock of _cold_. His mind went utterly blank, as the snow on top of him cut off the sunlight that had been streaming through the icy ravine and casting beautiful streaks of color here and there, until his senses caught up with him and it was like all the cells in his body were trying to curl in on themselves. There was no time to get used to the sensation, no time for him to do anything but feel his face and the rest of his body begin to crumple in a strange but volatile pain, before a warm hand closed around his upper arm and pulled him back into the light of day.

"Sonic, are you alright?"

If he thought that his body had been cold before, it was nothing compared to how cold it felt now. He was shivering, and he had hunched over to rest his hands on his knees, the backs of his elbows pressing up against the stomach that had been mildly chilly for a while but which now felt like it was turning into a block of ice. In the face of such numbing and yet painful cold, it was all he could do to direct his attention outwards, to the concerned partner whose hand was still closed around his upper arm.

Sending a shaky thumbs up to the android, he tried to shake off the all-encompassing _cold_ that had given up on the stealthy approach in favor of smashing into him all at once, to little or no effect. The possibility of responding out loud didn't quite occur to him, being a single vague suggestion amongst a sea of other vague suggestions, swirling through his mind as he blinked and winced and blinked again. He couldn't quite feel his own body, outside of the chill that had stabbed into him all at once and was now settling into his bones, and his attempts to escape it.

For a moment, he didn't move any further of his own will, just shuddering and fighting with how _awful_ everything felt. The only thing that could have made this worse was if he had been submerged in ice water rather than snow, and _wow_ he didn't want to think about that right now, because if his luck had taught him anything, it was that thinking things like 'it could be worse' was a recipe for instantly making things worse. He was fine with just this, thanks, there was no need for the universe to dump more on him. He was fine, he was good, he was- haha, fuck- _chill_ with what he'd been dealt for now.

Giggling slightly, breathless little noises passing through his lips and turning into clouds of mist in the cold air around him, the blue hedgehog abruptly straightened himself up. He almost fell onto his back from how forcefully he did so, almost went too far up and then too far back, but he managed to catch himself in what felt like a smooth enough move that it could be passed off as deliberate. Yes, he'd just wanted to take a step back and look at the absolutely stunning ice walls around them, and to admire the streaks of light that were passing through them. He wasn't off balance in the slightest. This really was a beautiful zone, when he ignored how cold it was, and he just wanted to appreciate it a bit.

The pain of being suddenly submerged in the freezing snow began to fade, as he genuinely looked around at the sunlight passing through the ice, coloring the walls and even large patches of snow on the ground as it did so. His breathing evened out, slow and heavy, as he gazed at the remnants of the ice shelf that had shattered beneath his fingertips and covered him in snow. One blink, two blinks, three blinks- he was numb, unable to feel his own body anymore, and yet he couldn't quite bring himself to care about that beyond the effort it would take to make a joke or two about it.

"Well, that wasn't very _ice_... I'm a Sonicicle now!"

The warm hand upon his arm left him because of his jokes, and he almost whined at the loss, but managed to keep that reaction internal rather than external. Yes, it was truly a test of his willpower to keep anything inside when he'd rather let it out, but he somehow managed to do so with incredible ease. Maybe it was because of the yawn that was crawling up his throat to take its place, or the exhaustion that had slammed down onto him as suddenly as the pile of snow had, but he found it easier to keep quiet in this moment. 

He also found it easier to keep his eyes shut once the yawn had passed through him, tilting his body forward slightly to make up for the distance he'd leaned back while yawning, when the familiar artificial arms of his partner wrapped around him and became the only things keeping him from faceplanting into the white ground below.

"Sonic, your body temperature is incredibly low! Why didn't you tell me that you were cold?"

Mumbling out a response that even he didn't understand, the blue hedgehog felt himself being lifted and held against the unexpectedly _warm_ torso of his partner, as the warmth chased away the numbness and allowed him to physically feel certain parts of himself again. His body was a patchwork of weighted cold and faint sensations of touch, distant from him like a ship out at sea... He didn't care though, basking in the warmth of his partner's hold, humming and pressing in closer to it as his exhaustion demanded he find a place to sleep. This was really nice, even though he felt a little off... it was _always_ nice to cuddle with Metal, always nice and warm and _secure_... why would a difference in scenery change that?

The voice of his partner spoke to him once again from a confusing distance, and he opened his mouth to respond as he believed he was being asked to, but found himself instead releasing yet another yawn that was on the louder side of quiet. This yawn eventually faded out to be replaced by a rumbling purr of contentment, as he tucked his arms in between himself and the hard but comfortably warm body of the android, simply feeling happy to be with other and not much more beyond that. He didn't feel the need to open his eyes or get back onto his own two feet, being utterly content to remain as he was... drifting along in a pleasant fog that wrapped around him like a hug and beckoned him to _sleep_...

A steady burst of cold air sliced through the cold-warm-cold oblivion he had been sinking into, stabbing into his fogged up mind and letting in a thin but harsh streak of clarity, causing him to wince and groan in surprise and discomfort alike.

"Wh-What's goin' on...?"

As Sonic forced his eyes open and looked around, he began to almost idly wonder, what _was_ he doing? He had been in the Ice Cap zone, that was why he was so cold, and he was with Metal, the source of warmth that held him. Why could he feel the wind in his quills, though, and why did a lightly cloudy blue sky surround them? Why were they flying now? They hadn't found Eggman's base yet, and there was still daylight to burn, still time to spend searching and playing and admiring the world around them...

Maybe he'd gotten injured somehow. He felt so _strange_ , like a sculpture of a bird made out of squishy, malleable ice, and even his thoughts were on the sluggish side... Maybe he'd gotten injured, hit his head or something... or maybe this was connected to the weird things that had been happening to him recently? He didn't know, but maybe Metal would.

Distantly, the hedgehog noted that he was curling even tighter around his partner than before, his quills rising in effort to shield him from the cold air streaming over his body.

"Sonic, are you aware of how much time you have spent in freezing temperatures during this past month?" He took a semi-dazed moment to consider this question, and when he eventually shook his head, the android continued speaking. "When all hours spent performing other activities have been removed from consideration, it is revealed that you have spent a total of approximately two weeks, three days, seven hours, and fourteen minutes in below-zero temperatures this past month. The frequent exposure to these temperatures has caused your body to adjust to them in the only way it knows how- by inducing the state of hibernation that most mobian hedgehogs manage to avoid, due to their participation in modern society."

Blinking slowly as he absorbed this new information, the blue hedgehog found himself yawning again, and hummed as he buried his face in the area between his partner's neck and shoulder.

"Hibernation, huh? Can't say I've... done that before..." 

Slowly, his eyes drifted shut again, as he got used to the numbingly cold yet somehow warm air rushing past them in their flight. At any other time he would have been looking around, taking in the beautiful sights and the crisp, clean scents all around him, but right now all he wanted was little more than to burrow into the heat of Metal's body and lose himself in it. He wasn't hungry, he wasn't hyperactive- he was quickly losing the ability to feel anything but calm and sleepy and content. This was the beginning of hibernation? It was a new experience for him, and although some distant part of his mind warned him that he shouldn't be so eager to pass out for a couple months or whatever, he couldn't help but be curious as to what it would be like.

The android holding him said something he didn't quite catch, and then shook him lightly, disturbing his dazed mind enough to catch its focus. 

"Hnm? Whazzit..."

He could feel the weight of cold exhaustion in his bones, and even though his focus had been given a target, he was already beginning to lose it in favor of the soothing warmth that fought against the growing emptiness inside him.

"Sonic, I am flattered that you find my arms to be a suitable nest to hibernate in, but you _must_ avoid falling asleep. Animals that hibernate require a certain amount of fat to be stored up before they do so, as their bodies consume this fat in the absence of food, and you do not have enough fat stored up to survive the expected six months of hibernation, no matter how many times you may briefly wake throughout them. I will be able to cancel your attempted hibernation once we get home, but you must stay awake until then. Do you understand?"

It took a few moments for him to piece together what he was being told, but once he registered the fact that he could actually die if he went to sleep, it was like a bucket of water had been dumped over him. He shuddered, and forced his eyes open again with more effort than it should have taken, licking dry lips and breathing heavily. Although hibernating sounded interesting to him, he wasn't exactly eager to _die_ for it, thanks.

"Y-Yeah," he shuddered again, trying to move his body around to get the blood flowing more without breaking Metal's grip. "Hibernation's bad. Gotta stay 'wake."

Artificial fingers brushed once through his quills, soothingly, but sharply enough that he didn't feel inclined to relax into the attention, a careful balance between comfort and necessity. Blinking at the sensation, now sitting stiff and mostly-upright in the android's arms, Sonic frowned as he could already feel his energy and clarity beginning to fade again. A cold exhaustion weighed down on him uncomfortably, and his instincts demanded that he press in closer to Metal for warmth, but he didn't know if doing so would help him or hurt him. The cold was what caused him to start going into hibernation, but the warmth was what would relax him enough to get him to fall asleep. But if he stayed cold, he would lose feeling and fall asleep anyways. What did he need to do here?

"We are almost home. Estimated time of arrival: fifty-three seconds. Try to maintain as much physical contact with me as possible from here on out- my research indicates that the safest and most comfortable way to cancel your hibernation attempt is to provide constant metal-to-flesh contact and to utilize blankets to insulate our body heat once they become available."

Exhaling heavily, the blue hedgehog pressed himself up against his partner's frame, keeping his arms sprawled out over the other's shoulders to avoid tucking them into his chest like he'd done earlier. Every breath he took felt like it required extra effort to be taken, slow and heavy and seemingly deep, yet somehow shallow at the same time, like he wasn't getting enough air but his body didn't feel the need to draw in any more than what it already was. He deliberately focused on the vague discomfort this feeling brought him, and on the dull chill in his bones, in order to keep himself awake despite the warmth that was so incredibly soothing to him. Instinctively, he kept trying to fold his arms in or to pull his legs up, but he did his best to force them back down whenever he noticed he was doing so. He couldn't fall asleep right now... but soon, _soon_ he would be able to.

It was kind of interesting, in a weirdly distant sort of way, that he'd start going into hibernation just because he spent a couple weeks' worth of time in the Ice Cap zone. Of course, he knew that hibernation was a thing that happened to some mobians, specifically those with genetic inclinations towards feral animals that hibernated, but it wasn't something he had ever imagined happening to him. Then again, he'd never really given it the chance to, but he was curious. Maybe he'd even try it sometime... but not today, and probably not in the near future. There was so much to see and do, after all... and he had Metal to spend time with, and he didn't want to leave his robot boyfriend alone for half a year...

A sudden physical jolt startled him into opening his eyes again, and he wondered when he'd closed them, before recognizing the front door of the home he shared with Metal. Bright blue skies were replaced with dark brown walls and a burnt cream ceiling, and the cold air that had surrounded him was replaced by a sudden rush of _warmth_ , this drawing a noise from his throat that sounded like a mixture between a groan and a purr of some sort. He instinctively sniffed at the warm air around them as he was carried through the cabin, catching the familiar scents of nature and machinery intermingling; an ocean breeze that swept over a battleship and drifted onto a lush island shore. This was _home_ , and he felt himself relax more with each moment that passed by with him inside it, until his eyes had slid shut again and he was purring contentedly in his partner's arms.

"Fifteen seconds more," Metal said to him, and he made a soft noise in response, though he didn't quite know what the android was counting down to. The rocking motion of his partner's gait as he walked, the artificial feet clicking in a steady beat against the wooden floor, and the delightful warmth that was diving into his flesh and rooting out the deep chill inside of him- it was all part of a recipe for encouraging him to _sleep_ , and really, did he need to worry about that anymore...? He was home, after all, and that was what Metal had wanted him to wait for... but maybe he should ask, just to be sure.

"Mets... 'm t'red... izzm'kay...?"

Slurring his words with an exhaustion that was much warmer than it had been before, Sonic found himself yawning again at the end of his question, his limbs pulling in tightly in a weird sort of inwards stretch rather than the usual outwards stretch he usually performed. The unyielding body of his partner prevented him from drawing them in completely, though, and then he felt them being gently tugged out to lay straight as he was laid down upon a soft and thick material of some kind, further discouraging that course of action. That was fine, he didn't need to curl up right now anyways... he was warm and safe, and he could feel Metal lying down on top of him and then rolling them over, the thick material wrapping around them, causing him to release a shuddering sigh as the temperature around him seemed to rise _just_ the right amount...

"You can sleep now Sonic," the android murmured, the artificial hands above him stroking his quills and the artificial torso beneath him giving off a more than welcoming heat. "I will take care of you."

Yawning once again, the blue hedgehog burrowed into the warmth of his partner and the blankets surrounding them, a contented purr escaping his chest as he recognized the delightful comfort and security of his current position. They were home, and Mets had given him the okay, so he didn't need to stay awake anymore. Metal was there, with all the knowledge of what to do, so he didn't need to fight his instincts anymore. Metal would handle things while he rested, and he'd try to remember to thank him when he woke up again, but for now he could finally _relax_...

Buried in the warm embrace of his partner and the blankets that were wrapped around them, Sonic hummed quietly, and sank into the oblivion that was calling his name.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not 100% satisfied with how this turned out, but honestly, I've rewritten this so many times that I might as well post it already xD there really aren't enough hedgehog hibernation fics out there, we need _more_.


End file.
